Over Those Blue Hills
by ellonen
Summary: A story of emotions created and demolished. A story of burning passion and hatred. A story of fighting for the one you love and fighting for that love with all your power.
1. Prelude

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own Naruto, nor do I plan to do so. It's all the work of the wonderful mangaka, Kishimoto Masashi.

A/N: I'm fully aware that the plot in this story is more than similar to starah's "Heat". I'll make the path differ from starah's storyline before long so don't come yelling at me about it.

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First chapter: Prelude

It was a busy and noisy evening in the Ichiraku restaurant and almost every table was full. People were chattering with each other and eating -what else than ramen. The air was warm and damp from the steaming cups of ramen. The cook was really having a hard time trying to have every client's dish ready in time but even though the service might have been a little slower than usual nobody complained -it showed the people's love for the Ichiraku. It was a famous restaurant, with the best ramen in the whole country -that's what the customers boasted- and the chef of the place being the nice and friendly person he was.

One ordinary customer could be seen sitting in the table slurping his ramen. The man was currently in a state of deep drunkenness, but however, for him to be drunk was very unusual. But since it was his birthday, it could be forgiven. He wasn't exactly partying, only having a cup of ramen and sake, a lot of sake, with a friend.

Uzumaki Naruto waved his hands in a huge round motion as he told about the events of his day to his friend, Inuzuka Kiba. They both were laughing loudly, ignoring the few stares that were thrown at them. At the age of eighteen, they were still as immature as they had been in their childhood. Surely, they both had grown into tall and handsome young men but their behavior was nothing like their looks. 

In their drunken state their speech was unintelligible but they didn't care. The most important thing in their minds was to have fun, and hell, they were having fun celebrating Naruto's coming of age, the time when he would handle the responsibilities and maturity befitting an adult

Naruto had never really cared about things like partying for birthdays and such but Kiba had insisted that they'd go for a quick ramen. They ended up eating many, many cups of noodles and drinking sake. Sake wasn't exactly the liquor to get one easily drunk so they had had to order great amounts of that, too. Well, Kiba ordered. Since Naruto wasn't officially an adult yet, only after a couple of days, he wasn't allowed to order or drink alcohol. The chef of Ichiraku, of course, saw that Naruto drank half of the sake Kiba bought but didn't say a thing. He liked the young ninja and heck, you only turn into an adult once in your life so he let the matter be.

Naruto didn't complain about the bills; it was Kiba who paid. And Kiba didn't complain; it was his parents who paid. Kiba wasn't dependant of his parents but since they had offered to pay he allowed them to.

They were planning to spend the rest of the evening at Kiba's apartment. He had left home two years before when he had become a Jounin because the work required his absolute attention. He couldn't have the peace he wanted living with his parents. And Naruto, of course, had lived all his life alone although Kiba had asked him to move in with him. Naruto had considered it seriously but in the end he had decided to live alone. It would've made a too huge alteration to his life since he was used to living alone.

The two were very close friends and shared everything. What Naruto often said, -What is mine, is mine. What is yours, is also mine- described their friendship perfectly. They could come and go from each other's apartments as they liked without the other being annoyed. That habit could cause troubles when they'd find girlfriends but that wasn't a current matter in their lives. They spent almost all of their free time together and grew closer and closer all the time.

"Sshould we get goin'?" Naruto's voice wavered considerably. He grasped Kiba's shoulder and grinned at him widely showing his usually white teeth -now there were remains of ramen between them giving him a foolish appearance.

Kiba stared at Naruto for a while, trying to get some sense into the statement Naruto had made. He blinked rapidly, probably to clear his sight and to dry away the tears formed in his eyes because of Naruto's reeking breath. After shaking his head to clear his head so that he could get comprehensible words from his mouth he stretched his face into a lazy grin and nodded.

"Yea, we shouulld…"

Kiba turned to the chef who had a moment's break from the customers and blabbered to him something about the bill. The chef miraculously understood what he was talking about and handed him the bill. After paying, Kiba turned back to Naruto and grabbed his collar in a friendly manner. Dragging him away from his obsession -ramen- Kiba wobbled out of the restaurant with Naruto on his heels.

"Whheere's yer ap- ap- apaartmeent?" Naruto's mind was so muddled that he couldn't probably tell a chipmunk from a donkey if he had to. He leaned heavily against Kiba who was just as drunk as Naruto. It appeared that Kiba, too, had forgotten where he lived so the two only walked to where their drunken feet took them.

The two seesawed on the streets of the Leaf village. Small fires here and there lighted their way. The late evening was peaceful, without any trace of concern. People forgot to worry about anything in the times of peace and that's how it should be, a life with no worries.

Without any rational thoughts Naruto and Kiba soon reached a forest near the borders of the village. They stopped for a moment to steady their breaths after the 'long' walk from the Ichiraku to the border. Naruto would later swear that they had walked at least five miles when they actually hadn't proceeded even half a mile. Pitiful, isn't it?

"Aare wee gooin' theree?" Kiba motioned towards the dark forest. The fires didn't reach this part of the village and it was getting dark.

Naruto nodded hazily and pulled Kiba after him to the forest. The line between the forest and village was very clear. Even in the outer sides of the forest the trees were thick and tall and the air hung over them like a curtain. There were no trails or any clearings.

_It was a mistake to come here_… Naruto thought vaguely in his drunken mind. His gaze lazily glided on their surroundings, trying to notice anything worth his attention. Finding none, he cast a quick glance at Kiba beside him.

Painted lines, in the color of blood, ran from under his eyes to his lower cheeks. His hair defied gravity and refused to settle on his shoulders normally. It was a black spiky mess and the tousled look was only more prominent when he had his hood over his head. The mess of his hair could well be attributed to the result of Akamaru's comfortable position on Kiba's head inside the hood. Kiba's eyes were black and the pupils formed the shape of slits. The one other thing that made his appearance unusual was his fangs. Especially for a person who was grinning constantly -like Kiba- the fangs raised some wonder among other people. But they suited him very well, giving him a somewhat wild and animal look.

Kiba's form was tall and his body was well built from all the missions and training he had had. He was resolved to become one of the Leaf's best ninjas so his training program was very well planned, leaving only a little time for himself. Akamaru, too, had grown but a little over the years. He would never be what his ancestors had been, a huge and fearless ninja dog, but he was still the greatest help Kiba could imagine when it came to battles and missions. Akamaru's high senses of smell and hearing were of use many times and he gave Kiba his company in the endless hours of nights during missions.

They trotted forward carelessly but both knew that the other one was on alert. Even though they were dangerously drunk the ninjas in the back of their minds kept their places. Their reflexes didn't rest even at night -that showed their huge progression and determination as ninjas.

Suddenly, they came to a clearing. They both were lamely astounded because even though they had raced through the forest for so many times that they had lost count in them neither of them remembered that there was such a place.

Kiba burrowed his eyebrows, trying to recall if he had been there before. He looked at Naruto who looked just as dumbfounded as he. It didn't take long for them to start investigating the supposedly new area. Huge trees framed the clearing, making the atmosphere feel like there was some danger approaching. But at the same time they created a certain feeling of safety and calmness.

Naruto walked -or rather, wobbled- to the center of the clearing and looked up to the sky to see an almost full moon staring down back at him. Stars had accompanied the moon, lighting the clearing almost completely. The light was white and cold, not the warmth of the sun but they didn't mind.

Kiba stayed where he was, looking at the blond haired boy. The light from the moon made him look like a statue staring up at the skies. If only Naruto had lifted his palms up he would have truly made a great painting. Suddenly, Kiba heard a sound of soft singing. His ears perked up and his gaze slid to where the sound was coming from. Kiba walked slowly to Naruto, to not attract the interest of the one who was singing.

"There's- there'sh- there's shomeone singing", he whispered to Naruto as quietly as his swollen tongue allowed him to. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to have any sense of cooperating with the owner and Kiba's voice came out as a nearly shout-like eruption. He squeezed his eyes shut, wincing at the painfully loud sound waves he had made.

Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and turned abruptly to Kiba crying out, "What'sh yer problem?!" They stared at each other furiously for a moment before Kiba resigned himself and retreated.

"You know, I jussht heard someone shinging." Kiba pointed at the way he had heard the sound. Then he mentally slapped himself, because the singing had stopped. It could only mean that whoever it had been had noticed, sensed, or heard them. Well, it wasn't a too difficult task to hear them when they were making sounds enough to attract the attention of the villagers' miles away.

"I don't hear anything." Naruto stared at the direction of Kiba's finger and tried to concentrate on listening but it was hard with something banging in his head like a torpedo. He shook his head a little but the banging sound only increased. _Damn, he cursed silently. __I drank too much sake… It was surprising to find even that bit of clear sense from his mind at his state._

"Well? Shhould we go and look?" Kiba once again motioned towards the source of the sound. Who knows, the singer might still be there. They had to find out.

Naruto nodded and started wobbling towards the point Kiba gestured at.

"It'sh thish way, you idiot." Kiba pulled at his collar once again but apparently a little bit too hard because Naruto lost his balance and tumbled over him. They landed with a loud 'thud' on the ground in a messy pile of arms and legs. Naruto found himself staring straight at Kiba's eyes that were only millimeters away from his owns.

"Eyaargh!" Naruto's furious yell could probably be heard in the Sand Country.

Kiba sighed in exasperation. That's it for a surprise attack. Then he was flying in the air, with his stomach hurting from Naruto's not-so-friendly kick. _Well, I could've gotten up… He made his second uncomfortable landing in the evening, this time on his back. Air was knocked out of his lungs as he met the ground rather painfully. After a moment, the stunned feeling released his body and he got up gathering his remaining pride._

Naruto was still lying on his back, staring at the sky. He had seemingly forgotten that they were supposed to go to look for the singer as his hands were crossed behind his head comfortably. His eyelids were dangerously closing. Kiba hurried to kick him to his side, not painfully but hard enough for him to wake up from his trance.

"Get up, you shnail!" Kiba ordered. It didn't take long for Naruto to be up under Kiba's commanding stare. 

Soon they were both up and clear again. They had sobered slightly after leaving the Ichiraku but both were still muddled enough to defy every rational thought. Not that they were rational when they were sober anyway. They took a second try to get to the direction they wanted to and this time they succeeded. They seesawed to the forest again after entering the clearing.

Kiba strained his ears to hear any unnatural voices. The only thing he heard was water's splashing. There had to be a pond nearby. Interesting, but they didn't remember any ponds or lakes either. It felt like they were in a completely unknown forest.

The splashing sound grew louder and louder all the time until it was right behind only a small area of trees. They strayed through it and entered yet another clearing, only this time it was smaller than the previous one. And one other intriguing thing was that there was indeed a pond on the other side of the clearing.

But what attracted their curiosity most was Hyuga Hinata who was sitting beside the pond, with her legs crossed under her. Her back was facing the two young men, hiding Hinata's expression and keeping it secret if she had noticed them or not. Her back stood straight and tall, her family's blood giving her some added tallness. Even her back was solemn and honorable even though they couldn't see it clearly due to the darkness.

Naruto found -in his messed up mind- every bit of Hinata very adorable. He could spend the rest of his life viewing Hinata's full-clothed back. Naruto found nothing to say, he only stared at her still immobile form.

Kiba looked at Hinata for a brief moment and noticed that a lonely and sad aura was surrounding her. Then he turned to look at Naruto and saw the whiskered boy staring at Hinata with his mouth hanging open like a fish, utterly incredulous and amazed. 

_Took him long enough to notice that she deserves his attention…_ Kiba had always acknowledged Hinata's deep caring for Naruto. In her childhood it had been a mere crush but during the years it had evolved to something deeper, more serious, like a bud blossoming into a beautiful flower.

When they had been young and Kiba and Hinata had been in the same team he had hoped that Hinata would look at him at least once like she looked at Naruto. But never had he earned even a glance of that pure caring from her. Surely, she respected him and they were friends but that wasn't the type of caring Kiba had wanted. But those feelings were long dead and buried, leaving him only with a deeper will to protect her and be her friend more so than an indifferent teammate. He had succeeded in that -they were close friends even outside the training. He had watched Hinata's growth during the years and had seen her gain more self-confidence and strength. The Hyugas had slowly started to accept her as she was and slowly the innocent girl was making her way under the list of the honored family members.

Now, as Kiba watched Naruto's expression change from astonishment to wonder he understood that those two were meant to be with each other. Neither of them had ever been loved and they just could find that love in one other. How can they not notice it? This needed his help. It was his mission to get those two together. Too bad that Naruto was too stupid to recognize his own love for Hinata -it was clear, to everyone but him and Hinata- or see Hinata's love for him. And Hinata was far too shy to ever confess her love for him. _Ooh, this is going to be difficult._

Then, suddenly, the silence that had fallen over them was broken by Hinata's clear voice.

"Why are you here, Kiba-kun, Naruto-kun?" She hadn't even turned around but still had identified them. Hinata's voice was soft as usual but there was a certain edge to it that was definitely different. Her voice, even if it was barely above a whisper, was filled with determination.

Both men were silent for a while before bursting into a drunken laughter. The sound made Hinata jump and turn around with bewilderment in her eyes. The two ninjas had covered their surprise by laughing foolishly, Naruto scratching the back of his head and Kiba grinning so widely that his fangs showed. They didn't answer for a while but only remained in their places watching Hinata.

"I thinkssh we got lossht…" Naruto was the first one to open his mouth. His constantly closed eyes were even now shut but it was an incredible fact that he could still see normally from behind his closed eyelids.

Hinata looked at them with a blush rising up to her cheeks. She had sensed the two a long time before they had even entered the clearing. She had been very surprised when they came to her, though. Maybe they had heard her singing… She blushed even more at the thought of her pitiful singing. It must have sounded moronic to them. But this was nevertheless a hidden place, even if it was in the middle of a training forest. Most gave up coming there when they had to go through the dark woods but Hinata loved the place. It was a place full of quietness and calmness, nothing bothered her -except the few determined ones to get there or the ones foolish enough to get lost and find their way there. Like Kiba and Naruto.

Hinata looked at the laughing Naruto and once again remembered why she so deeply loved the boy. His high spirits never failed anyone even though they were rarely returned. Nothing made this boy feel bad for a long time, he always cheered up immediately and if nothing else could help, then a bowl of ramen made him happier. Of course, Naruto too had his serious side but that was a very unusual to meet with that side of him.

Naruto was handsome, at least in Hinata's mind. His appearance was very original with those still all-orange clothes he wore and his spiky blonde head. Naruto had gotten taller, and was now only a little shorter than Kiba, but his hair gave him some more height. His body wasn't exactly the most well built one -surely, he was in a good shape but he was thin and slender. When he opened his astoundingly huge eyes, many were stunned by their color. It was a deep blue, like a sky before storm.

When Hinata surprised herself actually staring at Naruto she blushed even more. Now the men started to notice something strange in her face, too. Her body temperature rose by thirty degrees at their stares and the blush spread to her neck. _How can they be drunk and still look at me so closely like I had nothing on me?! Hinata was too occupied in her thoughts to notice that Naruto had come to sit next to her. Only when his hand touched hers softly she noticed it and her head shot up abruptly, nearly shocking Naruto away from her._

When Naruto leaned closer to Hinata, the strong smell of alcohol filled her nostrils. In her mind, Naruto was a tad too close to her than he would have been in his sober self and when Naruto just kept getting closer and closer to her, she really began to feel intimidated_. Is he going to... kiss me?!_ Hinata frantically thought about getting out of his way but her thoughts were interrupted by Naruto, who fell down on her lap, having misjudged his sense of balance.

Hinata let out a small "eep" and completely froze in her place. Naruto's nose was digging at her unmentionables and it took only a moment for Hinata to grasp the sides of Naruto's head and lift him up. When she saw his face he looked dazed and giddy. And then Naruto did something that made Hinata very, very scared.

He licked his lips… hungrily.

The Hyuga suddenly began to realize the extremely dangerous situation she was in. She was alone, without anything to protect herself with, it was night, and two men were with her. … Replace that with two drunken men. What if they'd try to take advantage of her? Could they rape her? That was a high impossibility but still there was a chance for it to happen.

Hinata got up warily and looked at the two men in front of her. Kiba was still standing, though a little wobbly but Naruto was where she had left him, lying face-first on the ground. They didn't seem suspicious to her but she decided to be on her guard anyway. After some silence Hinata was the first one to open her mouth.

"You didn't answer my question yet." She brushed a bang of bluish-black hair behind her ear and let her eyes trail from Kiba to Naruto.

Kiba crinkled his face in a thoughtful manner and raised one eyebrow skeptically. "What queshtion?"

"Why are you here?" It appeared to be useless for Hinata to try to get an intelligent word out of them but as she had nothing else to say and she didn't want an awkward silence between them she made her futile attempts for a rational conversation. She had the answer quite clearly in her mind. _They just heard my singing and came to look who's being tortured…_

Kiba thought about it for a moment before turning to Naruto who had successfully gotten up from his position of digging the ground with his nose. "Whaddya shay, Naruto? Why're we 'ere?" he slurred and tapped his chin with a finger.

"I- uhh- dunno." He took a few shaky steps towards Hinata but apparently his body refused to cooperate due to the amount of alcohol he had had during the evening and turned him around, leaving his feet the way they were. Naruto ended up stumbling on his legs and fell to the ground again.

Hinata sighed in frustration. _This is hopeless_. She struggled for something more to say but finally decided to stay quiet. Naruto's loud breathing and Kiba's absentminded humming filled the air anyway.

Suddenly, Kiba came up with an idea. "Let'sh go ta shwim!" he announced merrily and looked around, seeing the two staring at him. "What? Did I shay shumtin' funny?"

Naruto, apparently, had nothing against the idea of swimming but Hinata did. For the sake of all good in this world, what kind of woman wouldn't? She decided to make herself clear and told the guys, "We, uh, don't have swimming suits or anything such…" Her voice became silent as the two men were obviously not listening. They were getting their clothes off, throwing them to the ground.

"No!" Hinata desperately yelled. "Don't--", But it was too late. The two men had already stripped all of their clothes off and were now running to the pond. Hinata covered her eyes with her hand and crossed her other arm to her chest. _I'm ruined for life. She wasn't actually disgusted when she saw the naked ninjas running on the grass but she didn't quite enjoy the moment anyway._

She decided to leave for the time being so that Kiba and Naruto wouldn't have a chance to see her uneasy state. Surely, those two were drunk but they should still have some kind of sense of rationality! She turned her back to the boys and started to walk away as quietly and quickly as possible. She heard water's splashing behind her and gulped. Was it a mistake to leave? This was probably the closest she and Naruto would ever get, even though he was drunk. Should she waste the moment?

Naruto noticed Hinata's missing presence and turned around to call her to get her there with them. What had she talked about swimsuits? Oh yeah, that they didn't have any. Well, apparently that was the case but who needed those? Once again, the answer struck him, she was a woman. Of course she'd need a swimming suit when she was with them. Or did she?

"Oi, Hinata! Come 'ere!" Naruto waved his hand to get Hinata's attention.

Hinata slowly turned around but before she was fully facing Naruto and Kiba she asked, "Are you under the water decently?" _This is embarrassing…_ She waited for Naruto to get the answer out of his mouth.

Naruto wondered what Hinata meant and turned to Kiba to ask for help but couldn't see him anywhere. Only a few bubbles were there where Kiba was supposed to be.

"Huh? Where'd he go?" Naruto scratched the back of his head and while busying himself with this mystery, he forgot to answer Hinata. Kiba had disappeared in the blink of an eye, without a sound. Suddenly the realization hit him. Somebody sucked him into the stratosphere!

"Hinata! Kiba's not 'ere!" Naruto sobered from the situation and he could actually speak without much slurring.

Hinata turned to wholly face Naruto and saw that he was, indeed, alone in the water. Hinata was silently thankful that his private parts were under the surface. She had a second to admire his beautiful body before mentally slapping herself out of the staring. _Concentrate on the main thing! she ordered herself._

It was weird that Kiba had disappeared. The water wasn't deep enough for him to sink and drown but where else could he be? Naruto tried to see him under the water but failed.

"It looks like he isn't here… But you could be", Naruto said to Hinata with a grin.

Hinata blushed scarlet at Naruto's words. Could she go to swim with him without a swimsuit? It was dark enough so that anything under water couldn't be seen. _Well, everything that doesn't kill me strengthens me. She stepped closer to the pond, hesitating. The moon shone down on Naruto, giving him a god-like glow, but the cold light left Hinata in the shadows and she gladly welcomed it._

_Maybe I could… For once in my life do something I want to._

She looked at Naruto whose face was full of that sincere and gentle emotion. He didn't say anything more, he didn't want to push Hinata but he smiled encouragingly to her. She didn't want to do anything she'd regret later.

A small voice screamed to Hinata to think rationally and be the sane person she usually was but Hinata told the voice to take a hike to the Sand Country. This was her evening, hers and Naruto's. She wanted to leave the cage where she had been living her whole life and do something of her own free will. Who cared about the consequences? She could always leave the pond if Naruto became too intimidating and besides, Naruto wasn't even that drunk anymore that he'd try something funny.

Hinata stood there for a while, looking at Naruto. "Alright. I'll come." A heat rose to her face and she was thankful for the shadows covering her so that Naruto couldn't see her. Hinata went behind a tree to take her clothes off. _Where am I throwing myself into? She began to have regrets but then remembered that this was her will even though every single principle told otherwise and she wanted to be with Naruto._

In the same time, when Naruto was gazing at the stars and waiting for Hinata to come, Kiba was looking at the two from behind another tree. He had decided to leave them alone because his promise was yet to be fulfilled. It was best if he just let their relationship evolve on its own without him meddling into it -at least not for the time being. He silently pulled his clothes on without drying himself and decided to head to home. He hummed a happy little tune in his mind while searching the right way to home.

When Kiba was planning his evil little plot and Hinata was blushing fiercely behind the tree taking her clothes off, Naruto gazed at the stars, feeling an odd sensation creep over him. It was a strange feeling of tingling on his skin, a heat that came from somewhere inside him despite the cool water. His arm suddenly tensed without his will and Naruto really began to wonder if he couldn't hold his liquor. The feeling was gone as soon as it had come to him and he decided to ignore it.

Hinata came from behind the tree, the blush on her face now cooling down a bit. She was thankful that Naruto was facing the other direction so that she could slip into the water without his noticing. The water was cool and Hinata shivered slightly -maybe because of the water or maybe it was Naruto's affection, she didn't know.

Naruto felt the water surface quiver and turned around to see Hinata in front of him. She was under the water to her chin but that didn't stop Naruto's eyes widen at her beauty. The moon reflected itself from the smooth surface of water, making the water look like it was black marble. The tingling sensation crept up Naruto's spine again, the hair in his back rising.

Hinata walked slowly in the water, her arms instinctively covering her chest even though she knew Naruto couldn't see her. And did it bother if he even did? She had never thought about using _sex appeal_ to catch more of Naruto's attention, she was just happy with the caring and friendship he offered her. Did she even want anything more serious, deeper? If she would tell Naruto that she had loved him for the most of her life, would it destroy their relationship? Would the atmosphere between them be awkward? She didn't want to risk the friendship they had so she kept silent, harbored her feelings inside her.

She was now so deep in the water that her feet didn't reach the bottom. She began to swim, with slow but strong strokes. They didn't speak anything for a while, Naruto only stood on his feet, the upper parts of his body above the surface and Hinata swam slowly, stopping once in a while.

The kunoichi started to wonder why Naruto was so quiet all of a sudden. It was usually he who filled the silent moments between them, not with idiotic blabbering, but telling stories, talking about his missions and Hinata listening silently. Why she enjoyed being with him was the fact that he was so easy to be with. He never asked uncomfortable questions, not even unintentionally because he knew Hinata so well not to talk about things he knew would hurt her.

But if Hinata was unhappy Naruto would always ask her if she wanted to talk about it and listened if she wanted to, comforting her sometimes with words and sometimes with just being there for her. And it worked the other way around too. Even though Hinata was silent and shy she was full of sympathy for those who needed it. She was the solace of comfort for Naruto who had come to notice that he found rest and calmness whenever she was around him.

The silence stretched between them. Hinata was now just floating in the almost middle of the small lake and Naruto was still standing motionless. Hinata wondered if something had happened to him and decided to go to him. She swam the little gap between them and without rising from the water she touched Naruto's arm lightly.

Feeling the soft touch on his arm Naruto jumped a little. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had not noticed the time passing by or had he paid attention to Hinata. The strange, ominous feeling still hovered over him, as if unwilling to leave. When Naruto turned to Hinata, however, she was shocked at the sight that met her eyes.

Naruto's eyes. They were no longer the impish clear blue color she knew better than her own eyes. They were dark, dark blue, the pupils only slits in the middle of the raging ocean of iris. They were full of pure emotion, the feelings swirling in his eyes like storm clouds. Hinata took a hesitating step closer and forgetting her own decency she brought her both hands to Naruto's arms.

"What's wrong?" Her voice was so full of care and concern that the power over Naruto wavered a little. But not enough.

Naruto wasn't in her reach anymore. The Nine Tails had taken over him. When Naruto finally understood his feelings for Hinata the sly fox decided that it was time for him to have some fun. Naruto had been fighting the Demon Fox for quite a while, for many years but now he had finally broken nearly completely free. Ever since Hinata and Naruto started becoming closer and closer to each other, the power of the Nine Tails in Naruto grew.

In the beginning, Naruto had just seen a dream. He had been in the Demon Fox's cage and they had talked -well, if it could be called talking considering Nine Tails' hatred for human beings. The fox had announced that he would not stand still anymore, he wanted freedom. But since the seal made by the fourth Hokage was so strong he couldn't get free, he decided that instead, he'd torture Naruto until he gave up and willingly resigned.

Naruto had thought that it was a mere dream until one day when he was training with Hinata the fox talked to him again. The mighty fox knew every part of Naruto's mind, even the parts he himself didn't know existed. The Nine Tails saw right through the barrier around his feelings and felt Naruto's love for Hinata. He took this as an opportunity to get the fun he wanted, be it unmoral as it may.

Naruto had bravely fought the Demon Fox's rage, silently bearing the burden on his shoulders. After that little coincidence the fox had kept low profile for a few months. Then it happened again. When Hinata and Naruto were swimming in a lake near the village Nine Tails decided to drop by again. This time, it hadn't been so easy for Naruto to get rid of him, no matter how strongly he fought.

After that, Naruto realized that Hinata was somehow included in the Demon Fox's plans -why else would he disturb Naruto only when he was with her? Naruto would have wanted to stay away from Hinata to prevent any harm happening to her but she made it almost impossible, coming to visit him by surprise every now and then and being his dear friend as she was.

Nine Tails' visits became more usual all the time. First he had had almost fourteen years. Surely, Nine Tails had met Naruto before that but it had only been with Naruto's training that required the fox's chakra. But when he started to become more intimidating, and started to try escaping of Naruto as Naruto and Hinata's friendship grew. Then it had been a year -or two, who counted? The years turned into months, months turned into weeks until Naruto had to struggle with himself almost daily.

He had kept it secret from everyone else but now he regretted it. What if he broke free and hurt Hinata? If that happened nobody would ever know that it was Nine Tail's doing. Naruto would never, never hurt Hinata but if the fox broke free he couldn't stop it.

Now Naruto was beyond Hinata's care and love. The Nine Tails had its power in Naruto and decided it was time to celebrate. Blinking slowly for a few times the fox in Naruto's body turned his eyes back to the normal sky blue color so he wouldn't scare Hinata away. She was a big part of his plans anyway…

Hinata was looking at Naruto's rapidly changing emotions and when his eyes finally returned to the blue color she knew so well she heaved a sigh of relief. He was alright now. But Hinata still felt a threatening aura emitting from him. A strange, insecure feeling filled her but she decided to ignore it. Nothing would happen, right? Right?

'Naruto' turned to give Hinata a full grin when they both suddenly noticed how very indecently Hinata was standing in front of him. Hinata immediately blushed red as a tomato and a mischievous fire lit up in Naruto's eyes.

Hinata quickly bent her knees and disappeared under the water almost completely stammering incomprehensible words. "I- I- I- I'm naked!" Her face could have heated the entire pond if she had been under water.

"It's alright, I didn't see anything", Naruto quietly assured her. _This will be more amusing than I ever thought._ The fox was enjoying the moment with all his will. There was no need to tell Hinata that whatever she did to hide her beautiful body he could see it. It didn't matter if she was under the water or not, he could still adore her slender form with all his desire.

Human beings, in their helpless, weak, and pitiful forms can be so charming.


	2. Staccato

A/N: After a long wait, the chapter is finally here! It's not betaread by anyone so I hope you forgive this little Finnish girl and tell me if there are any grammar mistakes or anything else. Oh, does anybody want to betaread this story for me in the future? Any kind of help from a person experienced in English would be greatly appreciated.

_Kinumi_: Did I ever tell you that I love you? (In a platonic way) You're the most encouraging reviewer I've ever had! Thank you so much!

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Second chapter: Staccato

Hinata quickly took a few strokes to distance herself from Naruto, feeling a little too insecure with him so close to her.  Especially because the glint in Naruto's eyes told her a little more than his words did. After there was a good three meters' gap between them Hinata ceased and raised her eyes slowly to look at Naruto's face. Her heart still started thumping faster every time she glanced at him, even after she had been his friend for many years. She didn't even know why she was so strongly attracted to him. He had the looks, alright, but Hinata wasn't all that confident that that was what she liked about him.

Maybe it was because of Naruto's eyes. His eyes were so lively and strong, so very much unlike hers. His eyes were full of emotion and energetic when hers were plain white. If she looked into Naruto's eyes she could see what he was thinking and feeling. According to one old saying she had heard, one's eyes were the door to one's soul. If so, then Naruto's door was always open for visitors, be they friendly or not. Behind that door there was a room, simple yet very comfortable, not too full but not empty, either. When somebody came there they would not see everything with one glance but if they wanted they could visit him more and find out equally more.

But when the door to Hinata's soul was opened there was a dusty room with only a few pieces of furniture. There were many doors surrounding the small room and more doors behind the previous ones again. When people came there they would not look at the dark corners or the ragged walls of the place, they would only cast one fleeting glance around them and then leave. She was like a huge maze and only a few people had bothered to search for the owner throughout the place. But it was not like she wanted anyone to know more about her than the little bit she let them to be aware of.

Now, however, when she shyly looked at Naruto's eyes she could not see the usual Naruto smiling back at her. There was only a dark chill in the place of what was usually warm and welcoming. She grew more skeptical the more she looked at him trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Why had she not noticed this before? Why did she have to be so damn occupied about something else when Naruto was certainly not himself at all? Her eyes grew purely concerned when she looked at him again, this time noticing that her glance was returned.

She blushed no matter how hard she tried to prevent the blood from rushing to her face and lowered her eyes. The small voice in her mind, very observant as usual, screamed to her that his gaze had swept lower than where her face was. She thanked the night for being so dark and the moon for reflecting itself from the surface of the black water making it impossible to see anything below. It was not that she thought herself ugly, she had gotten over that a long time ago, but only that she was not what Naruto hoped her to be. She knew she was stupid to think like that because Naruto would probably never return her feelings but she wanted to cling on to the little thread of hope she had been given when he had wanted to spend time with her for the first time. No matter how tiny that hope was she still refused to give up.

Small ripples reached her chest and she was pulled away from her thoughts. Naruto took another step closer to her in the cool water, reaching his hand over the surface. Hinata wondered what he was about to do with it but he just left his hand floating in front of him. He was under the water from down his navel and the water drops on the upper half of his body sparkled with silver in the moon light. His skin was pale and his hair appeared to be almost white, creating an interesting contrast with the dark background of the lush forest.

Nine Tails was trying to figure out the best way to get the fun he wanted. He would of course be satisfied with only the young woman's body but he doubted the owner of his body would forgive him that. The boy could do something suicidal afterwards and the Demon wasn't so fond of dying that he'd want it. And there certainly weren't going to be any female Demon Foxes hanging around the Konoha Village so that he could have his way with them. So the best way was to have it, Nine Tails grinned toothily, their way. If he could deceive his little prey to believe that she wanted it as much as he did it'd go out smoothly. Of course, smooth wasn't actually what he wanted from it, he rather preferred the rough way, but this female in front of him didn't look like the most enduring person and he had to consider her feelings too. He had never been in a situation where he'd have others' feelings to think about and he was pretty sure he'd avoid those kinds of situations in the future.

He had already been ready to claim the body before him as his own but had changed the direction in midair and left his hand wander on the surface of water instead of exploring the sweets of a human body. He could see that the woman -whatever her name was- was a very calculating and wise person. She was not by all means as shy or hesitating as she let herself appear. He could see right through the mask on her face that even though she blushed easily and stammered even easier she was determined and wanted to be stronger. During all the time the Demon had spent surveying the world of humans through the bars of his prison he had begun to understand human beings more and more. And the more he found out the more amusing it got. Those weak little things could make him roar in laughter with their pitiful attempts to be real ninjas and assassins.

He saw the reaction on the girl's face even though she lowered her face to hide it, that she had secretly thought the hand he had raised would have been laid on her cheek. So, behind the mask lay still another aspect of her, a sensual being, yet very unyielding to admit it. The Demon smirked mentally and observed the woman more. His gaze slid down her body and even though she believed he couldn't see anything of her below shoulders he could see perfectly fine every curve on her slender body. The predator suffocated another smirk tugging the corners of his lips and concentrated fully on his victim. What was even more amusing than the fact that she was completely clueless of what was going to happen to her was that she deep down inside in her heart had hoped that a situation like this would occur.

Nine Tails had hard time recognizing this as the same girl he had set his eyes on years ago. The woman had grown in both mind and body during the time he had surveyed her. He had long time ago also realized that Naruto loved and even wanted the girl more than he himself was aware of. Why else would he have chosen her as his prey? The silly boy believed in love but Nine Tails had to return him to the real world. No emotion lasted forever. There were only two dominating instincts that held their power in the world of men: the will to live and survive and the will to propagate. Even insects knew what they had to do to survive but humans had a difficult way of attaching feelings into mating. They so intently insisted that love was a part of generating, had even renamed the verb to suit their own tastes better but that was all false belief. Their pathetic excuse for the desire to produce an offspring for them was love.

The Demon Fox almost snorted at his thoughts but then remembered the female in front of him and decided it was better to not make himself look any more suspicious than he already to appear. Drawing himself away from his well of thoughts again he observed the woman with slight interest, still trying to come up with the best way to launch his attack on her. On the other hand… Maybe he'd just do it _his_ way. Her head was bent slightly to look shyly to her left and her cheeks were flushed. It was only a matter of time before she would start swimming again. Her hands had found their way to twitch in front of her rather nervously and the Demon was sure that that habit was one of those Naruto found so appealing in her. Or had found. He had no intentions on giving the body of his host so easily back to its original owner, at least not before he had gotten his fun and while he was at it, why not destroy a few villages in the same time?

He looked at her for another few moments before finally forming a plan in his twisted mind. He smiled slyly to himself and spread his arms with the intention of beginning to swim in the crystal-like lake. The glassy surface broke when he glided in the water gracefully with slow but firm strokes. It took him only a few seconds to reach the middle of the lake and then turn back to Hinata. Her appearance in the black water, with her pale skin and dark blue locks of hair was one the Fox considered attracting in human mind. In a moment she had swam to float near him, with her face under the water to almost nose. She would have looked like a crocodile -not at all appealing anymore- observing her prey, had she wiped the scarlet from her cheeks and the shyness from her eyes. The Nine Tails would have preferred a feistier companion but this lamer one would have to do. Hers was, after all, the power the Fox had noticed years ago.

It was only a pity that the boy he inhabited was far too slow to notice the needs of a human body. But the Fox had his needs and if Naruto was too dumb to notice his, the Demon would just have to do what he saw the best. And be it sad for the boy or not the Fox was now in command and didn't care about anything else but himself. And the most important thought in his lust-clouded but still abnormally cunning mind was to get the fun he had come for.

Hinata was in the meantime sneaking quick glances of Naruto's eyes, those incredible eyes she liked so much better than her own. She still couldn't shake the feeling of something being wrong from her mind but basking in that ethereal beauty Naruto offered her distracted her a little. She had always despised people who looked only at the outer selves of others' and for that reason she felt guilty for enjoying his looks. She felt like she wasn't allowed to hold attraction for good-looking people because she knew that her looks certainly didn't make the world anymore prettier place to live in. But she comforted herself with the knowledge that it hadn't been Naruto's face that had been appealing to her when she had gotten to know him -it had been his infinite desire to become stronger and his immense ability to appreciate himself even when everyone else had been kicking his head, telling him he was a failure.

Suddenly she without any specific reason blushed more scarlet than she thought was possible and had a strange urge to run away from everybody or dive to the water and hide her face. It was the last option she chose to be more benefiting and dove straight away to nearly to the bottom of the lake. Only then did she think that now she had a clear view of the man who was above her, swimming mindlessly in small circles. Her eyes widened at the thought and she kept them firmly closed so that she wouldn't offend his privacy. Not that he cared about it anyway, as he had just previously ran before her stark naked. A few bubbles escaped Hinata's mouth as she got so flustered at her thoughts that she began shaking vigorously. Forcing herself to calm down she took a deep breath-- and gulped a huge amount of water to her lungs. She felt her breathing organs burning with pain and her brain beginning to scream from the lack of air and coughed hard, forgetting to try to stay under the water.

The fox noticed Hinata's strange behavior under the water and it didn't take him long to realize that she was drowning. The wild thought of his only prey dying drove him to dive for her and pull her above the water. She had ceased from coughing but then again, she wasn't even breathing anymore. Naruto quickly swam to the shore and pulled her to the ground, attempting to make her breathing easier. He figured that it would be best to roll her to her side so that she wouldn't choke on the water she had inhaled. Placing his hands on her shoulder and hip he rolled her to face him, with her dark bangs covering her pale face. As he saw that she was still neither coughing up water nor breathing he tried to quickly find a way to save her. He was not by all means worried about her life but only that the victim he had chosen to suffer the consequences of his lack of fun would die without him even trying to stop it. He could of course take her to the village where there were many people capable of healing her but somebody would certainly notice that he wasn't Naruto but Nine Tails and that would be yet another delayer in his intentions.

Sighing in frustration caused by the girl's inability of getting herself alive again he was forced to use his skills to heal her. The Demon brought his hand to her throat and with a little effort forced the water out of her with chakra. The technique had been used as a brutal mechanism to draw a victim's inner organs out of its body through the mouth but he could change the course of the chakra a little and thus get her back to life. Hinata almost immediately coughed the water and some blood up but didn't move from her lying position trying to regulate her breathing. She slowly blinked and opened her eyes, then noticing how close Naruto was, blushed and as if due to an instinct tried to cover her body from his eyes. She immediately started to mumble incomprehensible words which most of them Naruto missed but he could catch one questioning utter, "How?"

Nine Tails shrugged, not practically jumping with joy if he'd have to explain his healing powers that Naruto wasn't capable of doing. Hinata dropped the subject as if reading his mind -which she thankfully didn't- and noticed that a lock of hair was covering her left eye. She was still lying on the grassy ground, covering her body, wondering why Naruto wasn't getting up to save her from the uncomfortable moment of being stared at naked and trying to get the annoying bang of hair out of her eye. She tried to remove it without moving her arms from around her body but after successfully failing she got up and sat on the ground with her legs pulled to her chest to block any invading glances to her chest. When she got her hands free she brushed her hair from her eyes and stopped to look at Naruto for a moment.

Her eyes widened and she nearly fainted again when she saw him looking directly at her without any signs of decency. She pulled her legs even tighter against her chest and nearly shrieked at him to even try to look as if he wasn't staring at her _chest of all places! She was almost insulted by his rather rude actions but in the same time was flattered that he didn't look away in disgust at the sight of her. But then again he couldn't see anything of her private places because she covered them with her legs. She stammered without really meaning to say anything but somehow her mouth formed a question, "Uhh… Naruto-kun? Are you alright?"_

The Fox was pulled away from his rather interesting thoughts concerning the certain someone who was facing him by her question. He reluctantly lifted his gaze to Hinata's eyes, after letting it trail on her bare shoulders, noticing the fine skin shivering under his consuming eyes. Not bothering to bite back the smirk playing on his lips he gave his entire attention to the woman before him. She was nearly fainting from the clear lust in his eyes. He was surprised that as horrified as she was, she was not running away from him screaming that he was trying to rape her. Well… If she didn't start to warm up to him that _would be the case. Making it clear that she was wanted, his reply came out in a nearly purr-like whisper. "Yeah… Never been better, actually…"_

Hinata swore that she would have melted to a puddle of goo if she didn't have her dignity preventing her from such actions and the gnawing feeling that Naruto wasn't himself propping her on the back. However, even rational thoughts couldn't help her from feeling incredibly _fluttery_. A rosy color rose to her cheeks as she lowered her gaze to the green grass beneath her. Her toes absently fiddled with the small leaves when she tried to think of something smart to say. But failing, like many times already during the evening, she decided to shut up and let the silence surround them. It didn't take long for Naruto to break the silence, though.

"Are we still going to swim?" He prepared to put his plan into action as he waited patiently for Hinata to answer.

"Y- yeah, I- I'd like to", was her soft murmuring reply.

Naruto got up, knowing that Hinata would remain on the ground for a little while so that he'd get to the lake, and began to walk to the lake. But just as his foot touched the water he accidentally slipped on a water-slicked stone and miraculously, while flying in the air like the time had been slowed down, turned to face Hinata and landed over her. Hinata toppled backwards and firmly on her back as Naruto fell on her. Hinata braced herself from the fall instinctively and squinted her eyes shut, stiffening her neck to prevent the gravitation to yank her head uncomfortably to hit the ground. After the moment of shock was gone she noticed that something still wasn't in the way it should have been, because there was a weight on her body. Her eyes shot open as she felt Naruto's warm body against hers so tightly. Shocked, she tried to wriggle from under him. "What- what are you doing?!"

The demon hid a smirk and silently congratulated himself on succession to fulfill the plan's first stage. Ooh, he suddenly felt so alive again! Even though the arousing of a human body was different from the Fox's own experiences he enjoyed the feeling of the woman's lithe form against him -quite a lot, truth to be told. Ignoring her question, he pretended to be too shocked from the fall and didn't move.

Hinata was extremely uncomfortable in her position and tried to move away from him. It was not that wasn't aware of sex, she just wasn't expecting it to come out in a way like this.  She was scared of the change in Naruto. This wasn't the Naruto she loved! Suddenly, as if only now remembering that she had arms she brought them to his sides and tried to forcefully remove him but he was incredibly heavy comparing to what he looked like. Every part in her body screamed that it was wrong but she couldn't do anything about it. Finally giving up she resisted the urge to smack him across the face and instead let out a strangled yelp, "Get off!" She didn't want to think that it was Naruto who was lying on her in such an intimidating manner.  Her legs were tangled with his and she felt utterly helpless being pressed against the cold ground with a man who had, from the looks of it, gone completely mad.

Finally the Fox lifted his head and looked directly in her eyes making sure that she saw the pure lust in his eyes. Then he shackled her arms with his hands preventing her from moving them. He caught a glimpse of horror in her eyes but there was also a mortified glint in the look. She opened her mouth to scream at him and the Demon took the advantage of that move. Crushing his mouth to hers he muffled her cry, making her stiffen at the feeling of his hungry lips against hers. She was too shocked to do anything and that was just what the Fox had wanted. Grounding his legs between hers he saw her eyes opening wide at the sudden feeling. She managed to tear her mouth from his and gasped sharply, her face now white from the horror. She was nearly suffocating due to the weight on her chest.

"What's wrong with you?!" Hinata cried and tried to free her arms. Something was terribly wrong. Nothing in her life had felt as wrong as this! "Stop! P- Please stop! I don't want this!"

The Fox only gave her a despising look before lowering his mouth to her throat. He felt her squirming vigorously beneath her trying to free herself. Her accusing cries soon turned into pleading ones but the Demon was far too engulfed in his lust to bother to worry about her. She would give up in some time, anyways. It couldn't be helped that he had to do this to her. If she would have noticed his feelings earlier it would have been easier for the both of them. But apparently Hinata wasn't as helpless as she seemed to be; a grunt of pain escaped from the Demon's throat as she kneed him hard between the legs. His eyes flamed dangerously before he attacked her mouth again, nearly choking her with the force. Hinata tried to fight back but it was futile in front of Naruto's inhuman strength. Tears swelled in her eyes and poured down her cheeks, splashing to the ground.

He suddenly heard a faint voice in his head. It couldn't be--! His fears were affirmed as the voice screamed at him in violent volume. The brat who owned the Fox's residing place had woken from the deep sleep he _was supposed to be in!_ How could this happen?! Were the boy's feelings for the girl so immense that they won the powers of the almighty Fox? He nearly howled in frustration at the complexity of human beings. Now he would once again be thrown back to that stinking prison the fourth Hokage had made, because even if he was in command now, the owner was in advantage when it came to controlling the body. The Fox had merely caged Naruto in the same jail he had been in but it seemed that the boy had gotten free. Nine Tails knew that Naruto would soon take over the body but he still had time to give Hinata a parting gift. He ducked down on her throat and bit down on her flesh hard, drawing out blood. He moved his tongue against the pulsing vein, licking the blood away. Hinata let out a small scream of surprise and tried to escape his iron grasp.

Then, unexpectedly Nine Tails went completely limp, giving Hinata time to muster her remaining strength and wriggle away from under him. But she had not even stood up when Naruto moved again. This time, though, he didn't attack her as she feared he would. Hinata felt a sharp-edged stone under her fingers and grasped it to use it as a weapon if necessary. Naruto stirred, blinked a few times and then turned his head towards Hinata who was still sitting on the ground, panting for air and looking more bewildered than ever before in her life. Naruto's head shot up and Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin when he sat up abruptly, with an expression of pure confusion on his face. Hinata's fingers tightened around the stone and she held her breath, as if trying to be invisible in front of Naruto.

Obviously failing at coming up with any clear explanation to why he had been lying on the ground with a stinging pain between his legs he looked at Hinata. The look in her face made him even more, if possible, surprised, as her eyes reflected only helplessness, confusion and fear. What had happened when he had been unconscious? Wait a minute--

Why had he _lost consciousness?_

Hinata stumbled backwards and tried wildly to think of an escaping route. Why hadn't she thought this could happen when she had decided to go to swim with him?! Why had she been so stupid? Of course a drunken, straight, perfectly healthy man would do something like that! It felt like there were two Narutos before her: a wild, animal-like one and the one who was kind and now sat utterly confused in front of her.

Naruto tried to think of an answer and finally decided that he had nearly drowned and then somehow managed to get on shore before losing consciousness. He suddenly realized that he was in front of a woman without a thread of cloth on him and tried to cover himself so that Hinata would not be plagued by the sight of him. But then again, why was she naked, panting and looking like a scared animal? His eyes lingered on her face and then he finally noticed the ugly-looking bruise on her throat. His eyebrows rose questioningly but before he could ask he counted together one plus one he came to a solution he couldn't believe.

"You slept with Kiba!"

Hinata looked like she had been slapped to the face. She couldn't have looked more insulted and she was just about to slam her hand to his cheek when she realized that Naruto didn't know what he had done. Her mouth opened in surprise but as much as she wished to utter something befitting the situation she only managed to incredulously snap a sharp word filled with pain and bitterness at him.

"W-what?!"

She rose to her feet, completely forgetting her nudity and took a step backwards. She had endured enough for one evening! He had nearly raped her (though she wondered why he didn't seem to remember it), nearly snapped her aorta with a bite and then accused her of sleeping with Kiba. She suddenly didn't feel like tolerating it at all. Tears reformed in her eyes as she stared at Naruto who didn't understand the offense in his question. Naruto looked somehow as lost as she was even though she didn't understand why. How did he not remember? Hinata took in a wavering breath and shuddered violently.

"You… Idiot!" The tears fell down her cheeks even though she tried to hide her weakness. Naruto rose up and looked nearly as confused as she did. He took a step closer, not knowing what made Hinata cry and tried to put a hand to her arm to comfort her. Her head snapped abruptly up and she slapped his hand away from her. Tumbling blindly backwards she didn't see were she was going and suddenly hit her back to a tree. That was the final poke to push her over the limit: she broke completely. Nearly screaming in confusion she slumped down not caring about the bits of bark that scratched her back. Tears were now freely running down her cheeks and she felt light-headed. White stars dotted her sight and she laid her head against the trunk to clear her mind. She felt like a tight fist was wrapped around something inside her and it hurt incredibly much, a pain she had never experienced before.

Naruto, clueless of what to do, sat down in front of her and this time she didn't slap him away as he clumsily set a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry", he apologized with his straightforward attitude. He really didn't understand why he had offended her so badly that she burst into tears. There was nothing wrong with sleeping with Kiba although he himself wouldn't do it. After a moment of silence between the two Hinata calmed down and wiped her face with her hand. Sighing, she faced Naruto and saw that he sincerely meant what he had said. She couldn't hate him forever for losing control for one minute, could she?

"Why would I sleep with Kiba?" she asked softly.

Naruto was still for a moment and then shrugged, not really knowing why. But then, if it hadn't been Kiba to mark her in such a brutal way it had to be--

Him.

He had done it. He had hurt her.

His eyes widened as he realized the truth like a splash of cold water to the face. "I- I didn't… Did I?" he stammered, not believing himself. How could he do such a thing to the kindest girl in the world?

Hinata smiled sadly, as if apologizing and shook her head a little, not wanting Naruto to start blaming himself of her fate. She lowered her eyes because she didn't want Naruto to see the lie that lay the. Only then did she notice his hand patting her shoulder soothingly and felt a jolt of nausea hit her. Was it due to his attack before that she couldn't stand his touch? She didn't want to not be ale to be near Naruto! She shook her head again, like trying to usher the thoughts away from her.

"Then… who?" Naruto didn't understand! There was no other possibility than that it had been him who had hurt her. But why didn't she blame him about it? He put his other hand on her free shoulder and pulled her up from leaning against the trunk so heavily that it bruised her back even more. Hinata didn't answer, only shuddered under his touch and closed her eyes. She was clearly in great discomfort and Naruto wondered if it was because of him. If he had indeed violated her then he could fully understand her reaction but how had he done such a thing to her? Then, the freezing water of truth spattered on his face again -it had been that fucking Nine Tails. All confusion in Naruto's head vanished and now the pieces matched each other terrifyingly well. He didn't remember because the Fox had somehow managed to sneak up on him and caged him to the prison and then had freely used his body as his tool. Not to talk about Hinata's.

The Fox had hurt her and Naruto couldn't forgive him that. Naruto slumped backwards, losing every sign of sanity in his mind. Naruto had been too weak to protect Hinata. Naruto had not been there to save her from the Demon. But Naruto's body had attacked Hinata and that was all she knew. He couldn't tell her he was the Nine Tails, could he? But how otherwise could he explain to her that he hadn't done it? He stared at the ugly wound on her throat, unable to break his gaze from it and unconsciously lifted his hand to the bruise. Hinata jumped at his touch and tried to move away but Naruto's hand on her shoulder prevented her from leaving. He knew that he was making the matters only worse if possible but he also had to explain to her somehow. Hinata went stiff as a rock and gathered her legs and arms close to her body using the limbs as a shield against him.

"Hinata, I- I'm sorry!" Naruto suddenly burst and searched for any kind of reply from her eyes. But when her eyes remained in the dull, silver color reflecting only his own face back at him he knew that it was in vain. He had already hurt her beyond all imaginable boundaries and she would probably never forgive him. But she had to understand! He had never thought that he would need to tell somebody about the fact that the Demon who had nearly destroyed the Leaf Village was living inside him. But apparently now was the time for that situation. "Please, listen to me before you decide to kill me."

Naruto sounded so affirming that Hinata had to look at him. The immensely apologizing expression in his eyes made some of her shield crumble and she nodded slightly, informing him that she wasn't gong to run away despite her own awful state. Naruto sighed in relief and pulled his hands back to his sides to give Hinata a more comfortable area. He drew in a deep breath, trying to think of the best way to tell her the truth. The whole truth. And what was a better way for telling the truth than to tell it without circling and avoiding, to just say it bluntly, without decorations?

"I'm the Nine Tailed Demon Fox."

He waited for a smack on the face, for a kick to the stomach but certainly no what Hinata did. Or rather, what she didn't do. She only stared at him with disbelief showing in her eyes more clearly than anything. She nearly snorted at how easily believing Naruto thought she was. In the same time it hurt terribly to think that he told such a lie to her to make her believe that it hadn't been him to use her. But instead of snorting a broken, bitter laughter escaped her lips. It echoed in the night hollowly and the hair at Naruto's neck in the strange voice. She could have forgiven him if he had only said that he had been the one who attacked her and had only lost his control over… _male hormones_ or something. But why did he have to lie?

"D- Do you seriously think I'd believe that?" Even if she was humiliated, disappointed, betrayed and sad she couldn't help her voice from shaking. It was about time she learned that in this world, only strong survived. And if she wanted to be strong she couldn't have silly childhood crushes break her. That was the moment she decided she'd never fall in love again. If it hurt so much to be lied at by that precious person she never wanted to have one.

A silly childhood crush… That was what it was. Nothing more.

"But- what else can I tell you if not the truth?!" Naruto was nearly crying now. Resisting the urge to shake Hinata and beat some sense into her head he only grasped her shoulders and forced her to look into his eyes. And he was greeted by an icy look when his eyes met hers. There was no usual Hinata smiling back at him warmly, there was only an expression of one who has given everything and received nothing in return. Even if it felt futile he had to try. "How else could I have beaten Neji so many years ago? How else could I have survived all the fights I have gone through if not with the power of the Demon? You saw me fighting that day, against Neji--"

"No I didn't. So I don't have to believe you." Hinata's cold, unwavering voice halted him.

"But- but- please, you _have to believe that it wasn't me, it was the Fox inside me! Please, Hinata!" Naruto pulled her close to him and pressed her tightly against his chest burying his face in her neck. Hinata didn't do anything, only stayed immobile as if she had frozen. That was what had happened, her feelings were now thrown inside a cube of ice and nothing could escape that jail. An expression of angriness and sadness mixed together vaguely crossed her features before she regained her control and forced her face to remain blank. Naruto noticed that she stiffened and pulled back to face her, only to see that she did not react to anything he did or said. Making alcohol freeze would have been easier than to read Hinata's mind._

How could she build up that horrendous wall around her like that? The Hinata Naruto wanted to hold was not there, as the Naruto Hinata had wanted to be with hadn't been there either. But to think that the most forgiving and kindest person of all could change so much made Naruto want to kill himself. He was the one who had turned her into the coldness so maybe it was right if Naruto would be thrown there, too. Naruto's hands sagged back to his sides but he didn't move away from her, still trying to make her believe him even though it was nearly impossible in her state. It was the act of a desperate man trying to hold on to his love as tightly as he could even when deep inside he knew that he would have to let her go. This decision was not for him to make, only for Hinata.

After what seemed like hours Hinata finally gathered enough strength to stand up. She leaned against the tree with one hand and looked down at Naruto. He was now the one whose face resembled an empty page in a book, as he stared before him with blank eyes. Hinata stepped away from him, not understanding herself why she felt like the matters were only getting worse. She had always been careful with everything. She had been slow with her feelings towards Naruto, she had been slow to get stronger, she had been slow to become the heiress of her family. But in one quick moment her life backstabbed her like this and crashed down on her. It wasn't fair. It just simply wasn't fair that she was treated like this when she had given her everything and received nothing but lies in return.

She walked silently to her clothes, pulled them on quickly and without a second glance back, left the forest clearing, her solace of peace, behind her back. There was nothing for her there, not peace anymore now that she knew that every time she would come there the memories of one deceiving night would come haunting her. Somehow, the feeling of hurt and weakness didn't decrease as she walked further away from the clearing. Somehow, she felt more like a betrayer than the betrayed.

Somehow, it all felt so very wrong.

Naruto stood up a long while after Hinata left, not cared about anyone worrying about him being away for so late. His brain couldn't make sense into it. He, too, vaguely remembered how clothes were worn and managed to, after three times of trying, pull his T-shirt and pants on. He stood in the middle of the clearing, staring with blind eyes to the sky as if demanding the answer from the stars. He didn't receive one but still continued his demand. Why was it so that he was always kicked at the head? Why was it that he always hurt those near him the most?

Why was it that he kept on asking these questions?

He walked up to the tree and could almost see Hinata standing before it, blushing like she had done when he had asked her to swim with him. Almost but not just. Then, without thinking, he turned around and opened his mouth in a silent cry as his fist hit a tree violently, making the bark fly with the blood from his knuckles. He heaved a few deep pants and then did the wisest thing he could come up with: smacked himself hard across the face, sending himself to topple to the ground on his back. He brought the back of his hand to his eyes, shielding them from the moon. "Shit."

In the middle of the forest, where the moon didn't cast its cold eye, a lone woman stood, staring at the ground before her feet. Nothing moved around her, nothing moved inside her. It was as if the world had stopped breathing, just so that this one person could hear her own heart. The silence continued until a wrecked sob escaped from somewhere between her mouth and chest, burst out and was left dully floating in the night air. No echo answered it and nothing reacted to it. The woman fell on her knees, then face flat on the ground and brought her hands to her head, clutching at the dark bangs desperately, trying to prevent herself from exploding.


	3. Ritardando

AN: I'm sorry for the ridiculously long wait with this chapter but a writer needs some inspiration to work, right? I'd like to explain the (possibly) bad quality of this chapter with the fact that I don't have a betareader. Anybody want that job? And also, my writing is going through some major changes right now so I apologize if the style change is very drastic. And this chapter is just madly boring...  
  
*  
  
Third chapter: Ritardando  
  
*  
  
In the following morning, Hinata found herself in her own room but in a rather unusual position crouching in the corner. The pain in her lower back told her that everything wasn't in its right place. She had probably been sitting in the corner of the room for all night, though she couldn't quite decipher how she had gotten on the floor in the beginning. She furrowed her brows and tried to clear her head but regretted it only a second afterwards as the memories of the last nigh came to her.  
  
Hinata shook her head; she didn't want to think about it. She tried to distract herself by something else but when the wall didn't transform into anything more interesting she had to resign. No matter what she did, her thoughts came back to one person. And that person happened to be the one she didn't consider worth thinking of anymore.  
  
She stretched her shoulders trying to relieve the numb stiffness in them and in the progress managed to haul herself up from the ground. She took a few shaky steps towards her bed in an attempt to get some real sleep but the demands from her stomach decided to make themselves audible at the same moment so she changed her direction and headed for the kitchen. It didn't take her long to start to boil the water and find tealeaves and after a few minutes of searching she even found a few cookies to go with the tea.  
  
She didn't want to enter the dining hall where the other members of her family were probably having their own breakfast so she settled for sitting on the ground again, leaning against the cupboards under the water sink. Closing her fingers slowly around the teacup she felt the warmth spread from her hands to her arms and to her body, making her feel much more comfortable on the cold floor. But when she took the first sip of the tea she noticed that she had forgotten to add the tealeaves and went to retrieve them from the table, in the same time noticing that her hands were trembling considerably.  
  
Ignoring the sensation she rested her head against the doors of the wooden cupboards as a stifled sigh escaped her lips. She felt like something heavy was placed on her and pressed her towards the floor, making it difficult to breathe. Hot tears prickled the back of her eyes for no specific reason and she tried to fight them, only letting a small broken cough emit from her throat. She clenched her eyes shut tightly and tried to block out the bad thoughts coming to her mind.  
  
Just then the door to the kitchen slid open, revealing the most unexpected person Hinata could have thought to enter the room. Her cousin stood in the doorway, eyeing her with little interest. When she saw that he wasn't moving Hinata turned her face away from him. She wanted to be alone. She didn't want him to see her like this, when she was weak both physically and mentally. But he didn't let her.  
  
It was obvious that Hinata had been crying. Neji was uncharacteristically curious to know what made the usually timid woman show her emotions so freely and stepped inside the small kitchen, closing the shoji behind him. He invited himself for a cup of tea and sensing that his cousin was in great discomfort leaned against the light-colored wall, as though mocking her.  
  
Over the years he had grown to respect her as his cousin, not as the heiress of the family she was. It felt like Hinata enjoyed that kind of respect more and he felt no real reason to change it. Their conversations few and far between were still none too enthusiastic but sometimes both of them were able to enjoy them, at least a little. Neji still saw her as a shy person even though she had become a great deal braver when she grew up, and he had never really begun to see her as a woman, only a girl with the habit of sealing her feelings inside herself, trying to appear stronger.  
  
The moment caused Hinata extreme discomfort. She tried hard to ignore the hot prickling behind her eyes and tried to blink the tears away and Neji could easily tell that his presence was only making her more nervous, if possible. He sipped his tea casually and set the mug on the table bedside him, crossing his arms over his chest. He had no real desire to know about how miserable her life was now but something told him that she needed support more than possibly ever before.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" It was the best kind of offer of comfort he could give. He had never really cared about consoling others and needless to say, didn't like it one bit. Others' problems weren't his and they'd deal with them by themselves.  
  
At first Hinata wanted to decline and just usher him away but seeing that it was probably the kindest thing he had ever said to her (despite their small discussion about medicines) she felt obligated to move her head a fraction of an inch up and down. Neither of them said anything for a long while because Hinata didn't know what to say and Neji waited for Hinata to say something. During the silence Neji silently poured himself another cup of tea and Hinata remained in her place, immobile on the floor.  
  
It was their bond as cousins that gave Neji the patience to wait for his cousin's answer. Even if she tried to hide it, Neji could see that she was mentally shaken and that she couldn't think rationally. Neji saw everything, and therefore Hinata's inability to recognize that she had locked her feelings was more visible to him than to her. If she would only pull the trigger and launch them, she'd be saved from much grief.  
  
Hinata swallowed a mouthful of tea with difficulty and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Looking at Neji, she saw his carefully hidden impatience and let out a deep, calming breath to begin her story.  
  
When she began, however, her defenses didn't work in the way she wanted them to, and soon tears were prickling her eyes again. She continued with speaking, however, because Neji's demanding eyes didn't allow her to stop. He watched her carefully through all the time she spoke and her clear voice, though suffocated with continuous wavering breaths, filled the room with a strange feeling of sadness, one that wasn't known in the household. It was always only grim and stern, and happiness wasn't much allowed in the house.  
  
When she finished, they remained silent for a long time, the other pondering the story, the other pondering the other's reaction. She had intentionally left out the part when Naruto told that he had the Demon inside him but otherwise the story was complete. She collected herself and now they stared at each other with an equal grimness. With equally white eyes set on an equally stern expression on a white face.  
  
"You weren't born to become like me." Neji eyed her now coolly, almost disapprovingly. The indifference in his tone didn't surprise Hinata. He had never shown any kind of emotion and now was definitely not the right time to change. And him answering in riddles almost made Hinata laugh had she been in the condition to laugh to start with.  
  
Seeing that he didn't want to talk anymore nor did he want an answer Hinata stood up and with a nod of farewell headed back to her room to receive the proper sleep she had lacked the previous night. Her head began pounding cruelly the second she stood straight and the quick rising made her feel dizzy. Leaning against the thin wall of the kitchen she took the turn towards her room. When she heard him following her, however, she stopped. She was surprised that he showed any kind of care for her and for him to follow her certainly didn't suit him.  
  
"I also have something to tell you. In your room, please." Neji's voice lacked all emotion and it was impossible for Hinata to tell if the matter was about the previous conversation or about something else. Assuming that it included other subjects she let him follow her to her room. The dizziness she had felt slowly resigned while they walked and her head cleared, giving her an opportunity to think better.  
  
Once they reached her room they stepped inside and Neji closed the door behind him. He had been in her room for a couple of times before so it was not unfamiliar. The room was much like the rest of the house, emotionless and stern and it didn't suit Hinata at all. No wonder she spent more time outside on her own than in there. At least the Branch family's quarters weren't used for political meetings so they could decorate it with the furniture they wanted. Not that it differed from the Main family's, but there was the feeling of alternation that made the air easier to breathe.  
  
Hinata sat on the edge of her bed and gestured for him to take the only chair in the room. It was a plain white colored seat but while all the other furniture were designed to fit only the meaning, the chair was cushioned and looked comfortable. Neji preferred the floor again, though. He crossed his legs beneath himself and faced his cousin with serious eyes. Hinata's hands found their way to her lap and began their nervous pattern once again, despite Neji's disapproving look towards them.  
  
"So, what is it?" Hinata asked quietly, as if fearing that her questioning would make him angry or otherwise disappointed at her.  
  
"We were assigned for a mission", was Neji's reply. While it was nothing new for them to get missions, it was rare that they were ordered to go together. Neji didn't mind it, because over the years Hinata had progressed in both physical strength and endurance. And on top of that, she had a wide knowledge of plants and herbs to be used as medicine if someone got injured. But if he had to be with her for a longer time than he himself desired, he wouldn't be so enthusiastic about it anymore.  
  
Hinata's eyes darted at Neji's and then back to the wall. "What kind of mission?"  
  
"We have to retrieve a scroll that was stolen by a group of bandits. The scroll contains nothing very important, but the group is big so we have more than just the two of us to take part in the mission."  
  
Hinata's hands stopped their movement. She looked at Neji and then back to the wall again, after finally settling on her hands. "Who else are coming with us?" She wasn't used to be on missions with somebody else because she was usually by herself. She didn't know how to react to the piece of news but hoped that it would work out. It had been a long time since she had worked with anyone else, and the last time had been with the people who had accompanied her all the way through their genin and chuunin years.  
  
"Hokage-sama is still thinking about it, but there will at least be Shikamaru and possibly that Uchiha boy as well. Hokage-sama said that there will be others to come."  
  
Neji had gotten in quite friendly terms with Shikamaru after their first and one of the most dangerous missions together - well, at least as friendly as Neji could get. Sasuke, on the other hand... There were still many who thought that he would have been better off if he had left permanently with Orochimaru. Neji didn't like him even though many said that the two were so alike that it was amazing that they weren't friends. But Hinata thought that both needed someone lighter to make them happy.  
  
On Sasuke's behalf, it had worked out quite well. Sakura's not so secret crush on him had turned into something rather desperate when he had left the village. She had been so out of it for many months that her friends started to worry if she'd kill herself before long. Then the sudden news about Sasuke's return changed her so massively that she could no longer be identified as the silly girl who blindly followed her love. Sasuke's return made her face what she was: still weak and hiding behind a cheery smile.  
  
When she realized that she was getting nowhere with only moping and sulking because Sasuke didn't look at her she began to train. And when she found the sparkle of strength to protect those dear to her inside her she truly began to change. It got her some time to get stronger but only two years after Naruto she became a jounin, along with her friend Ino.  
  
Ino and Sakura's friendship had been revived somewhere between Sasuke's departure and return. But their rivalry was still between them, sometimes in only verbal arguments but sometimes they went so far as to actually start a real combat. Ino's interest in Sasuke had died as she had had to watch what had happened to Sakura when she had remained stuck in the boy. She had withered away before Ino's eyes and she couldn't even believe she had ever liked or even admired a boy who could cause so much pain on somebody else.  
  
So Ino, too, had more time to concentrate on her training. And when she was more with her team doing simple missions and obeying Asuma's orders she realized how easy it actually was. She already had a good base on nin- and genjutsu so with a little effort she perfected her skills on those areas but as Asuma said, it was taijutsu she lacked. As many other kunoichi, she wasn't very good in the physical side of fighting. She had no special techniques so basics were what she concentrated on.  
  
After she had used a few months training alone in the forests surrounding the village Asuma ordered her to work with Shikamaru. To kill two flies with one slap. So, Shikamaru used his Shadow Copy technique and Ino dodged the best she could and attacked with her own techniques, sometimes taking control over his mind, sometimes locking his arms or legs or whatnot behind his back, sometimes just punching him in the cheek. It was usually he who won, though, but no matter how annoyed at it Ino got she found herself day after day challenging him again. What amazed her was that Shikamaru didn't complain nearly as much as she expected him to.  
  
Their relationship was evolving all the time and maybe, only maybe, they had both changed because of it. Maybe Shikamaru found more things interesting in his life and maybe Ino wasn't so explosive anymore. But if the right buttons were pushed they would both get back to their stuck up states again. It was a very intriguing combination, their relationship.  
  
Neji rose from the bed taking his leave. At the door he stopped and turned back to Hinata, with words on his lips but uncertain if it was very wise to say them or not. Finally he decided that it was better to speak his mind than to remain silent.  
  
"If you don't have anything better to do than to mope your heart out you should come to the meeting Hokage-sama holds concerning the mission. Sulking here is only a waste of time. Be in her office at six."  
  
He turned to leave and Hinata didn't stop him. She knew that he saw how she was feeling despite her tries to keep her emotions to herself. She also knew that he was right. It did nothing good to just lie inside all day. She'd go to the meeting and then train, anything to keep her mind from wandering back to Naruto. She got to her bed and lay down in an attempt to get some sleep before the meeting.  
  
Attempt was what it became. Her sleep was restless and short and she woke up constantly only to stare at the ceiling with wide eyes with her heart thumping so hard that it hurt and her skin glistening in sweat. Horrible images of red eyes with narrow black irises swirled in her mind every time she closed her eyes. But the suspicion was the greatest cause for her to be awake. What if Naruto had told the truth? What if he really was the Demon?  
  
Hinata was a wise woman. She knew what was reasonable and what was not. Unfortunately her brain was forced to move out of the way of the emotions raging inside her. She knew that she should think about it more and she knew even better that Naruto would never lie to her. Why did she suspect him then? Maybe it was because what he had said was so unbelievable that she didn't even know how to react.  
  
She lay on her bed for a good while and finally decided to go to the meeting at the Hokage's office. She wanted to see who were coming with them and also find out what equipment they would need. While she was sure that the mission was nothing too difficult for her to handle she wanted to get accustomed to the idea of traveling with others. She had never been very comfortable with other people around her and had always been very shy and she still rarely enjoyed company.  
  
Hinata had many times thought of moving to live on her own. She could provide a nice apartment with her income from the missions and occasional part-time jobs but she was more worried about her family's reaction. Now that she had received the title 'heiress of the Hyuga' she couldn't just go around on her own. Even if she knew that the title was partly only a play she understood that the Hyuga's fragile state of peace would waver if she left.  
  
That's why she was bound to live in the mansion of the Hyuga but that didn't mean that she couldn't get out of there as much as possible. Her sister, despite her dislike for Hinata, also took care of the responsibilities given to her - probably so that she could convince the family to replace her in Hinata's position. Hinata didn't mind but she rather liked having even a bit of her father's pretentious attention sometimes.  
  
Seeing what the time was Hinata started to make her way to the meeting. Throwing her jacket over one shoulder she stepped out of the room and to the garden, blinking at the bright sunbeams. The day was clearly opposing her state of mind and gave her a perfect view of a blue sky with no clouds and a calm breeze stoking her skin. It was almost ironic how the weather was so much different from what she felt. It would have been better if it had rained and been dark because then her unnaturally white and sweaty face wouldn't be seen so easily.  
  
She journeyed through the village the short way to the Hokage's building. She was glad that there weren't many people around and searched her way swiftly through the corridors and finally found the office. Knocking twice before entering she noticed the other people there almost immediately. Or rather, one person.  
  
Naruto was sitting just opposite the Hokage's board, the right foot thrown over the left leg with his hands crossed over his chest. He turned to the door just at the moment when Hinata entered and it took quite a while for him to recover from the shock. He didn't even finish the sentence he had been saying to Tsunade and just stared at her. Hinata returned the stare once before her bravery gave up and she moved her gaze to the floor.  
  
Tsunade raised an eyebrow at this interaction. Usually the two got along pretty easily but now the tension was almost touchable. Well, she couldn't always know what was going on between others. It wasn't even her business and if it didn't affect their work then she would leave it to the two to handle.  
  
They didn't say anything and Hinata moved to take her seat on a chair near the doorway. Naruto looked like he wanted to say something but he couldn't do anything under Tsunade's attentive eyes. The stretched silence was finally broken by Shikamaru's ever-so-lazy entering. He knocked on the door twice and entered the room accompanied by Neji and Sasuke a few steps behind. They broke the strained atmosphere in the room and although Shikamaru wondered why they were so grim he didn't say anything.  
  
Tsunade rose from her chair and walked to sit on her board. She eyed the people there and a frown appeared on her face. "Didn't I tell you to tell Sakura? Where is she?"  
  
Sasuke took a step forward from the wall he was leaning on. "I told her, yes, but she said that she'd be a little late for who knows what reason."  
  
Just after his words Sakura came running through the hallway and nearly stumbled over when she entered the room. She leaned her hands heavily against her knees and it took a moment for her to recover so that she could explain herself. Finally after a few moments of deep breathing and calming down she straightened her back and bowed hastily to the Hokage.  
  
"I'm waiting for an explanation, Sakura", Tsunade said grumpily. Despite her light attitude towards most affairs she really didn't like when somebody came in late for an appointed meeting.  
  
"I'm sorry I'm late, but you see, I was training and Kakashi-sensei didn't let me leave unless I had finished and then he was awfully late and I had to wait for him..." She trailed on with indecipherable words and finally shut her mouth when Tsunade gestured her to take a seat. She took her place next to Sasuke and elbowed him in the side. "You could have told her that I was training!" she hissed at him and hmphed.  
  
Sasuke merely shook his shoulders slightly and leaned back on the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. He suspected that the mission was going to be a difficult one, if not because of the enemy then because of Sakura. And probably Naruto. They were both such idiots that it was a miracle that he had stood them even for this long.  
  
It had been a hard time for their team to recover when he had returned from Orochimaru. Even Sakura's never-ending love for him had wavered and he had been rather unsure of his return. But then she had promised with her life to Tsunade that he wouldn't do anything against the village and he had been grateful. It was thanks to Sakura that he was now there. Naruto hadn't done more than shook his shoulders and yelled at him for a bit, and already the bond between them was recreated.  
  
But still they weren't the same cell anymore. Sometimes he'd see Sakura and Naruto change glances that only they could share, and occasionally they would feel more like a brother and sister than just friends. Sasuke didn't feel that much left outside because he had always been a lone wolf but it still reminded him of the years he had been absent.  
  
Tsunade cleared her throat to get everyone's full attention. She gave them a grin before starting but those who knew her better knew that she was serious when the time required despite how she appeared.  
  
"As you all know, the mission is to retrieve a scroll with a sealing technique in it. The scroll, while nothing very important, can cause damage on us if it is in the wrong hands." Her eyes scanned everyone in the room and she held a small pause before continuing.  
  
"The people who stole it while it was being moved to here are trained fighters and there are many of them. That's why you all will go and all of you will give it the best you can. I will give you the current location of the group later today and after that it will be for you to decide who will be the leader and how you will attack." She stopped her pacing and sat back down on her desk, putting her hands in the pockets of her robe.  
  
There was silence and everyone waited for Tsunade to continue. Shikamaru yawned and scratched his nose. Sakura ran her fingers through her hair. Naruto fidgeted on his chair. Sasuke merely stared in front of him, ignoring everything else but Tsunade's voice. Hinata's eyes wandered from Neji to Sasuke and back to the wall where she had been staring. Neji changed the foot he was supporting his weight with.  
  
"That's it, you're dismissed", Tsunade said.  
  
"Wait, you're not going to tell us anything more? How are we supposed to complete a mission with so little information?" Shikamaru asked. If he was being dragged to the mission he had the right to demand more instruction.  
  
"No, is there a problem with that?" Tsunade asked, raising an eyebrow at his reaction. "That's what ninjas do, gather information."  
  
"Yeah, right..." Shikamaru scratched his scalp. The mission was becoming way too annoying for his tastes. But on the other hand, now he could leave the office quicker than he had planned to. Maybe Ino was still free to train with. "Well, if that's all, can we leave?" he asked, taking a step towards the door.  
  
"I already told you that you're dismissed. I'll call for you when I get to know the location of the group. Now move your butts or I'll throw you out."  
  
Under Tsunade's threatening stare they quickly took their leave. As if of a silent agreement they stopped when they reached the gateway leading to the huge building where the Hokage worked. After a moment's silence Neji calmly said, "I take it clear that Shikamaru will be our leader."  
  
Shikamaru sighed at this and scratched his head again. Just because he had become a chuunin two years before Neji and Naruto didn't mean that he was any more capable of handling the responsibilities of a leader. "Let's not make any hasty decisions. We should wait until we know the location before we decide leaders or anything..." He would much more enjoy relaxing before the mission than planning their positions and actions.  
  
Others respected his words and despite silently swearing that Shikamaru was going to be the leader no matter what everyone left the matter be. Neji took off first, heading to the Hyuga Branch family building which was not far from the Main family's quarters. Sasuke and Sakura left together to the direction of the center of the village and Shikamaru, with a low grumbling, left to Ino's. Hinata started to run after Neji because they were, after all, heading to the same direction.  
  
"Hinata, wait!" Already when the words left his mouth he regretted them. He wasn't going to gain her trust back with asking her to stay with him alone. He was still so confused about the happenings of the previous night that he could hardly face anybody, yet alone talk to Hinata. But he knew that if he didn't get Hinata to believe that what he had done hadn't really been him their relationship would be as good as gone.  
  
Hinata slowly stopped her steps and hesitantly turned her head slightly to tell Naruto that he was free to speak. All her thoughts raced through her mind in one huge storm and she found it extremely difficult to look into his eyes without breaking. Maybe if he offered a rational explanation she could believe him and could move on with it.  
  
Naruto was surprised that he couldn't see a cold back staring back at him and was startled when she actually allowed him to talk. But if this was what he wanted, then what was he going to say? All the things he had sworn to tell Hinata, from an apology to a promise to be her slave eternally now fled his mind and he could only stare at her. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. After several attempts he shut up and took a deep breath.  
  
"I'm sorry", he said, looking away from Hinata. He just couldn't face her like this, not after what he had done.  
  
She didn't answer and Naruto nearly lost his faith that he'd be forgiven. When he looked at her, he saw that she, too, was desperately fighting for the right words so that the fragile moment between them wouldn't be shattered. It was like balancing on the edge of a knife, one slip and their story would be over.  
  
They remained silent. Neither knew what to say so that it wouldn't destroy the moment. Hinata wanted Naruto to explain his actions but somehow it didn't feel right to ask so directly about it and left it alone. He would have the second chance, she decided. She knew that she would be happy with Naruto and one misunderstanding or accident or whatever it had been couldn't destroy that happiness.  
  
And if she were to get hurt, she wanted Naruto to be the one to hurt her.  
  
***  
  
Neji stepped inside the Branch family's house. It was quiet and comforting. He couldn't see anybody but it didn't surprise him because very few wanted to wander in the hallways of the mansion. He, too, had for a long time been thinking of buying a house of his own but he just couldn't bring himself to leave his mother alone. She had always been rather weak and after his father had died she had been nearly constantly sick.  
  
When he arrived to his and his mother's home he was surprised to see her sitting in the kitchen. She gestured for him to take a seat opposite hers and set a plate of food in front of him. Her colorless eyes - even more so than his - were dull as she looked at him, asking him quietly to eat. She herself had a plate full of food before her but she had apparently only nibbled at it and then left it to cool down and now it was so cold that it wouldn't taste good.  
  
Neji cast a worried glance at her when he went to put her meal in the oven for a while. The small bit of sympathy he harbored inside himself was all saved for this person. A person who couldn't take care of herself and who was very important to him. He had had to watch her wither away after his father had died though he had then been too small to understand the depth of her feelings and love for him. He still didn't understand the emotion called love but at least he knew how much she suffered of the loss.  
  
When he carried the plate back to his mother she stuck her fork in it and left it be. Neji wasn't hungry either but knew that his mother would be disappointed if he didn't eat.  
  
"Do you have something to tell me?" he asked, trying to get a clue as for why she was up at this time of the day - usually she could only be seen during the night, sitting in the swinging chair in the inside garden of their house. Sometimes Neji would wordlessly bring her a blanket and wouldn't ask about the tears streaming across her face because he knew she didn't want to answer.  
  
"The Main family. They're having a meeting. You should go there."  
  
He inwardly wondered why the Main family would want to have him in the meeting but kept his façade indifferent on the outside. "You think? Did they tell you what the subject is?"  
  
"I think they mentioned something about your cousin. You know, Hinata-chan. She's such a cute child, don't you think? You used to like her when she was small, and said that she was cute."  
  
"Mother... Hinata-sama is an adult. You shouldn't refer to the leader of our clan as a little girl."  
  
"Is that so? But I so liked her eyes when she was young... She used to smile a lot even if she was shy."  
  
Neji didn't remember the way his cousin's eyes had gleamed happily when he had been looking at her. He didn't remember the small curve of her lips when she smiled. He didn't remember her being happy for a second in her life. He had no happy memories of his home and he didn't need to.  
  
"Indeed, Hinata-sama must have been an adorable child." His voice sounded far away even in his own ears and he replaced the small talk by taking a mouthful of the food his mother had made. It was burnt and too salty but he ate it like the most delicious of meals. His mother looked at him happily, as if enjoying the sight of him eating.  
  
"You, too, were such a cute child, Neji", she sighed and leaned her chin on her hand. "Tell Hinata-chan to come over some time. I'd like to talk to her."  
  
Neji knew he wouldn't but nodded nevertheless. His mother smiled happily at his response but her smile never reached her eyes. They remained dull and hunted even during her better times and this certainly was one of those. Bad days weren't rare and then she would be hysteric and on the verge of snapping completely. Neji feared that one of those days he would lose her.  
  
"I want a grandchild."  
  
Neji's head snapped to look at his mother and he was surprised to see that the seriousness in her eyes was true. Why was she talking about something like this now?  
  
"Mother, what are you talking about?"  
  
"Just what I said. I want a grandchild before I die."  
  
"You won't die in a long time."  
  
"Don't lie to me. I know rather well how weak I am."  
  
Neji was starting to get scared. He could handle tens of enemies and hundreds of weapons thrown at him, but when his mother was like this he knew that the false happiness in their home would be gone soon. He wanted his mother to be as happy as possible for the last years of her life but she was almost deliberately making it more difficult.  
  
"Are you going to give me a grandchild? It'd have such cute, pearl-white eyes..."  
  
"I don't have a wife, mother. Something as important as a child isn't produced in a short time."  
  
"Oh, you could get one. You're a charming man, dear. Just one look at the ladies and they'd fall at your feet, I'm sure."  
  
Neji's face remained immobile and he didn't know what to say. Just seeing his mother like this hurt him and it hurt even more to know that he'd cause her pain if he didn't fulfill her wish. But he wasn't about to make a random woman pregnant just so his mother could pamper it to death. He had never seriously thought that something as children would be a part of his life. Now that he did think about it, it seemed as stupid as Naruto becoming the sixth Hokage.  
  
Just to keep her mother from wandering to unpleasant thoughts again he asked, "Have you thought about the mother? Who would you like it to be?"  
  
She was silent for a minute, going through the options in her mind. "Wasn't there this lovely girl in your team? What was her name again? Penpen?"  
  
"Tenten, mother. And she moved in with a woman from the Sand Village a while ago."  
  
"Oh, what a shame. She had such a bright attitude. She would've completed you in many ways."  
  
That was partly true, yes. Tenten had just never been more than a teammate to him and he had hard time thinking of loving her. It was good that she had found her place next to someone even if the relationship was as strange as one with a Sand kunoichi. They were thankfully living in the Leaf Village - Neji wouldn't have tolerated Lee's overflowing tears that would definitely have streamed had she left them behind.  
  
"I don't know many of your friends... Aren't there any girls you'd like?"  
  
"At the moment, the alternatives are on short, I'm afraid."  
  
"Oh well, I can wait. Just be sure that you never make her cry, okay? I won't forgive you if you ever make a woman cry."  
  
Neji nodded wordlessly and finished his meal. These kinds of discussions between them were rare and she had never brought up a very sensitive subject such as this. Should he give her what she wanted? True, he had never had a longtime relationship with anyone nor did he want to but he was an experienced lover. He didn't know how he could make any human happy, not to talk about being happy with him for the rest of the life. He had long time ago decided that love wasn't for him, even if physical pleasure was nothing he despised.  
  
He stood up and saw that his mother had once again fallen into the trance - her dream world where only she and her husband could visit. He could tell that the conversation had exhausted her. He patted her shoulder lightly and when he didn't receive a response, picked her up in his arms and carried her to her bedroom. He threw a blanket over her to keep her warm and shut the door quietly. She would wake up in a few hours and he wanted to be home at that time.  
  
That meant he had to make haste to be in time in the meeting at the Main family's quarters. 


End file.
